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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Hidden
inside the most unlikely person can be the most extraordinary hero…

Jeremy Sunson is surrounded by crazy. Mrs. Abercrombie, upstairs, is widowed
because her husband glued feathers to his arms, jumped off the building and
tried to fly. His neighbour, Stuart, has gone mad since his wife died in a
freak car accident— his only thread to reality the doomsday machine he’s
building and his daughter… and, of course, there’s spacemen in Jeremy’s living
room.

Every night, in glorious Technicolor, there’s a battle royal between two high
tech assassins who continually blast Jeremy’s apartment to shreds. Each man has
one mission: Red wants to kill Jeremy, Blue wants to save him!

Though his therapist insists he’s just having bad dreams—Jeremy knows better.
It’s time to fight. He’s sick and tired of being sick, scared and tired! Armed
with rare confidence and a baseball bat, this night, Jeremy fights like the
crazy man he isn’t!

But how can he ever imagine when he’s won the battle, the war is only just
beginning… over and over and over again?

The 12 Nights of Jeremy Sunson – ride a wave of laughter, fun and sci-fi
fantasy all the way to Armageddon!

Excerpt:

Battle?
Jeremy ambled home from Dr Smith, the word strange in his mouth. He'd never fought
for anything before, let alone himself. Was that why he always felt a failure?
Why he'd taken stress leave?

Battle.
As he repeated the syllables in his head, he became more accustomed to them,
more familiar with the concept.

Battle?
Well, why not? He considered his life so far not at all successful. On any
measure he merely existed. Like now: the train he boarded he treated as an
inconvenience, not an adventure. A plodder, his third grade teacher labelled
him, and he'd never broken out of that mould. Why not start now?

Battle.
Yes—he would battle! And what better place to practice than in his dreams?

"Battle,"
he said with a whisper. The old man next to him on the train glanced at him
askance.

"Battle,"
he said. The man moved to another seat.

The
train slowed for his stop. Time for action. "Battle!" he said.
"I'm going to kill you, Red!"

Women
pulled their children out of his way. But Jeremy didn't care. He strode towards
battle!

Jeremy
didn't know how one went about preparing for battle in one's dreams. He decided
that physical preparation—combat training—might put him in the right frame of
mind. Combat equipment not forming a traditional part of the tax return
process, Jeremy didn't have any, but he remembered adverts about Dancercise or
Kickercise. And if they could do it...

Hidden inside
the most unlikely person can be the most extraordinary hero …

I'll let you in on a secret. Heroes are everywhere.
In fact, you could be one of them.

Have you ever wondered what makes a person heroic?
The movies would have us believe that overwhelming odds, and the actions a
person takes—with guns or fists—define the hero.

Jeremy, in The 12 Nights of Jeremy
Sunson, an accountant on stress
leave who's never been good at anything, has a secret. He can't fight with
fists or guns; even if he had any (guns that is, he does have fists), he
wouldn't know how to use them. And yet he has to stand against many opponents:
his therapist, assassins, even the end of the world. Standing against
obstacles is heroic, but specific obstacles do not a hero make.

Jeremy chooses to fight, before he's forced
to. For me, Jeremy is heroic because he takes a stand. The clothes truly do not
make the man.

Harm, the warrior legend from In Harm's Way, has a secret. He might be huge, but he's about as
coordinated as ... well, let's just say his toes often stop his gigantic
shield smashing into the ground. Unintentionally.

And yet, everyone regales him with his heroic
and miraculous deeds, which just happen to occur when he's blind drunk.
With no memory of his feats, night after night, Harm submits once
more to the ceremony his magician friend Montague created—never sure
whether he'll wake up—to save villagers he's never met from an attacking army.
He does all this to stand against oppression.

Everyone can be a hero. Even you. At any time.

Have you ever helped a loved one through tough
times? You have?

Congratulations! You've succeeded at one of the
most difficult tasks imaginable, a constant strain and effort that puts every
action star to shame. Yet few of us are portrayed as the heroes we really
are—the papers are full of those who aren't heroic, who take their pain out on others.
Like Jeremy's mad-scientist friend Stuart who suffers a tragic loss and ... but
I can't spoil that for you.

All of us deal with loss, and yet the way we cope
can be heroic: we can hide away from the world, or take a stand.

Heroes don't require assassins or Armageddon
or a village in need—every time you take a stand, rather than the easy way out,
you are heroic. And you join the band of unsung and unknown
heroes. Jeremy is an unlikely hero. He reminds me that we can all
be heroic, by standing up for what's right.

So
join Jeremy on the road less travelled. Hope to see you there one day.

Melindra Hattfield Snowy, a part-time writer and
full-time dreamer, who of course prefers to be known as MH. She is the author
of In Harm's Way, the first
novella in Harm's story published by Pygaso Productions, described as epic fantasy meets The Truman Show.

When not writing or occupied with her
dual-identity, MH walks through the mountains with her partner or tries to
unravel the secrets of her great-grandmother, an adventuress who disembarked
from the French steamer Laos in 1931 seeking to uncover rumours of Mayan
temples deep in the heart of the Amazon jungle, and disappeared, never to be
heard of again.

Her
fellow officer has made the ultimate sacrifice, and Detective Madison Knight
may have to lay it all on the line to bring his killer to justice. But with leads
pointing in several directions, she has to narrow them down—and quickly—if
she’s going to solve the case before anyone else gets hurt, including herself.

***

He
devoted his life to seeking justice. But would she get any for him?

It
was an ordinary day for police officer Barry Weir. It was the end of shift, he
was tired, and he just wanted to get home to his wife and kids. But someone had
other plans for him—shooting him down and forcing him to make the ultimate
sacrifice.

When
news of Weir’s murder reaches the precinct, it leaves Detective Madison Knight
and every cop in the Stiles PD itching for revenge. It cuts Madison’s
boyfriend, colleague, and Weir’s childhood friend, Troy Matthews, deepest of
all, driving him away from everyone he loves, just when they need one another
the most.

With
evidence pointing to a gang-related drive-by, Madison and her team investigate
the town’s seedy underbelly in search of justice for their fallen brother. But
the deeper they dig, the more convoluted the case becomes. Now they need to
figure out if this was a random shooting as part of a gang initiation, a
straight-up hate crime, or a targeted kill. But with the Stiles PD under
attack, they have to do it fast…before more people pay with their lives.

Excerpt
from Ch. 4:

Madison
walked through the station, feeling as though time was moving in slow motion as
she first headed to her desk. Once there, she took a seat and opened the bottom
drawer, nausea swirling in her gut as she pulled out a clear plastic Baggie. It
was where she kept her mourning band. She’d hoped to never need it again…

She
pulled it out, and for a few seconds, she held onto it, letting her fingers dip
into the thin ribbing in the half-inch-wide black cloth. She unclipped her
badge from its holder and slipped the band on, carefully placing it so that it
ran horizontally across the center of her badge. As she stared down at the
badge, thinking about what that simple band of black meant, a single tear crept
down her cheek. But she didn’t have time to dwell on her fallen brother and
grieve right now.

She
swiped at her eyes and returned the Baggie to the drawer and headed for the
briefing.

Even
with her detour, she beat Sergeant Winston there. Sovereign and Stanford were
already in the room along with about sixty officers. It was standing room only,
and Madison scanned the crowd for Troy. But there was no sign of him or of her
partner, Terry Grant. She didn’t see the police chief, either.

Andrea
Fletcher, Troy’s older sister, had taken over the position almost seven months
ago. To say she was a vast improvement over her predecessor was putting it
mildly. Patrick McAlexandar was a chauvinist pig who had been in bed with the
Russian mafia—the same mafia that almost killed her five months ago. And she
was certain there was still a hit out for her. She couldn’t allow the passage
of time to lull her into thinking it had gone away. If McAlexandar’s track
record wasn’t bad enough, he also had aspirations to be the city’s mayor, but
Madison would do whatever she could to sabotage his efforts.

Terry
walked into the room then and came over to her. She hugged her partner without
hesitation. As much as they teased and rankled each other, he was like the
brother she’d never had.

“I
didn’t see you at the hospital,” she said as she released him.

“We
must have just missed each other. I got there as soon as I could. Dani’s still
not sleeping through the night.”

“She
is only two months old,” she reminded him.

Spoken
like someone who knew kids…which she didn’t.

“That’s
what Annabelle tells me, and she’s such a good mother. Besides—” Terry gestured
around the room “—complaining about the lack of sleep doesn’t really seem like
a big deal in light of everything.” He fell silent for a few seconds and then
added, “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“Me
neither.” The nausea that had settled into the pit of her gut didn’t seem like
it would be going away anytime soon.

Sergeant
Winston entered the room, his mourning band also on his badge. Terry was
working on getting his band in place, too.

The
sergeant stood at the front of the room. He cleared his throat, and all the
chatter stopped. “As you may have heard, Officer Barry Weir was shot and killed
this morning.”

My
Review:4 stars

I’m picky when it comes to police procedurals.
While I love watching them, they don’t always come across well in book form for
me. Either they’re lacking in character development, or the twists aren’t very
twisty, or the plot drags at some point, etc. So I was a bit wary about trying
In the Line of Duty. Would it work for me? Would it really live up to the claim
“Police Procedurals Respected by Law Enforcement?” I’m happy to say that it
did.

I don’t want to reveal too much, but suffice to
say, I enjoyed this book. The characters were nuanced and real. I could feel
the grief Madison and her fellow officers were suffering due to the death of
one of their own. And I could feel the urgency that they put into finding out
answers. The plot twists kept coming, with red herrings and surprises keeping
me (and the cops) guessing throughout the book. While the plot did drag a bit
at times in the middle of the book, I was pulled in enough that I kept reading
until the end.

I greatly enjoyed reading In the Line of Duty and since
this is book 7 in the series (but it still works as a standalone), I would love
to read the others in order to learn more about Madison and her crew.

CAROLYN
ARNOLD is an international best-selling and award-winning author, as well as a
speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction
series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and
Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre
diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and
thrillers to action adventures.

Both
her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law
enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the
trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.™

Carolyn
was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves
the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her
overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to
touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and
empower.

She
currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a
member of Crime Writers of Canada.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Organ
scrubbing was a bloody job, but somebody had to do it. Daniel, an orphan from
the Gutter, was put to work scrubbing kidneys at aged twelve. The job had its
perks: a warm bed, Law and Order
reruns, and an all-you-can-eat Mopane worm buffet.

Until
the Orphanage stole Daniel’s parts, and sold them on the organ market.

Now
Daniel has grown up, and yearns to become whole again. The cybernetic organ
replacements just aren’t the same – he needs his parts back. But the new owners
of his organs won’t give them up. Not without a fight.

Just
how far will Daniel go to regain his missing pieces? And how much more of
himself will he lose along the way?

Defragmenting Daniel is a
cyberpunk crime thriller that will unnerve you. Every part of you.

“A
work of great imagination. Powerful and gripping.”

“A
stark and moving experience.”

–
ReadersFavorite.com, 5 Star Review

Excerpt:

“You
feel that, son?”

“No
siw,” Daniel mouthed. His tongue was numb. Had been numb since they’d replaced
it with the generic a year ago, but it felt more swollen than usual. Clumsy
against his palate.

“That’s
good. Try to relax.” The surgeon’s voice was deep and quick. Like a scythe.
“Music, nurse.”

With
Daniel’s head turned the way it was, he looked directly into the surgeon’s
crotch. He tried to turn away, but his head had been immobilized.

A
beat Daniel remembered from somewhere rolled through the operating theatre. The
bass vibrated along the legs of the steel table, up, into the brace that
pierced his skull, down, through its metallic fingers, and into his brain. It
tickled.

The
surgeon shifted. A nurse’s masked face replaced the crotch. “Don’t move.” Only
her eyes showed above the mask. The doctors and nurses all looked the same with
their masks on. How do they tell one another apart?

A
grainy woman’s voice hissed through the beat.

We
had you cleaned

We
had you eat

The
high-pitched whine of a bone saw echoed in Daniel’s skull. “We’ll have you open
in no time,” said the surgeon.

Daniel
felt pressure against his temple, above his right ear. The whine of the blade
morphed to a lower, choppy grind.

We
had you bathed

We
had your feet

Yes,
he remembered the song now. It was all the rage in the cafeteria on Friday
nights, when they cleared the chairs to make room for an ad hoc dance floor.

“How
the kids?”

“Good,
thanks doctor. Jordan’s starting school next week.”

“Already?”

Daniel
tried to swallow, but lying on his back with his head fixed at this angle, most
of the saliva dribbled onto the operating table.

We
ate your lungs

We
heart your beat

The
bone saw slowed to a toothy stop.

There
was a hollow metal twang, as something red dropped into a metal bowl on the
edge of Daniel’s vision.

“You
doing okay there, boy?”

“Yeth,
ma’am.”

The
surgeon bent down. Peered into Daniel’s eyes.

“We’re
in. Won’t be too much longer now.”

My
Review:

3 stars

I want to start by saying that I've read and enjoyed several of
Jason Werbeloff's books before, and that the writing in this is just as great
as his other novels. However, my main reason for the lower rating is because of the
gore. Now while I'm not a fan of overly done gore (I'm talking to you Tarantino), I can still usually stomach it. After all, I love cop and
forensic science procedurals. Heck, I love the show Supernatural, which gets way too gory at times. However, this was just too much for me. I think the main reason is due to Werbeloff's writing style. He is very good at providing
vivid, realistic descriptions which draw readers into the worlds he creates.
While this has worked well for me when reading his previous books, it didn't
here. It was just too much, and I found myself skipping parts of the story because I didn't want to read them. So that hampered my enjoyment, but that's entirely on me.

The story is well written and exciting, with excellent
world-building. If there is one thing Werbeloff does the best, it's his
world-building. It was kind of scary even because I could totally see this
happening. I will admit, at first I was confused by why people would want to
use organs taken from other donors if you could just have artificial organs
which were more likely to be healthier, but as I read on, this world made more
sense to me. And part of his great world-building is interesting characters such as Daniel. Seeing how Daniel changed from the beginning of the book to the end is what kept me reading. His scenes with Odin were oddly touching, which was weird at times, but helped capture his character (you'll understand why this is sometimes weird if you read the book).

On a side note, as the title suggests, this is part 1 of 3, so the book does have
a cliffhanger-ish, to be continued ending.

Overall, while this is an interesting, well-written, and exciting story, it just wasn't for me. I'm faced with conflicting emotions because while I want to know how this series ends, at the same, I don't want to continue reading the series. This book is not going to be for everyone. If you can't handle squicky situations, this is not the book for you and I recommend trying some of Jason's other books (I personally enjoyed Obsidian Worlds, as you can see from my review). But if you have a stomach of steel and laugh at gory situations, then give this book a try, because it is worth it.

Human.
Male. From an obscure planet in the Milky Way Galaxy. Sci-fi novelist with a
PhD in philosophy. Likes chocolates, Labradors, and zombies (not necessarily in
that order). Werbeloff spends his days constructing thought experiments, while
trying to muster enough guilt to go to the gym.

He's
written two novels, Hedon and The Solace Pill, and the short story
anthology, Obsidian Worlds. His books will make your brain hurt. And you'll
come back for more.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

When Dallas, the self-proclaimed Hero of
Trappersville, is recruited by an ancient order of monster hunters, he’s more
than happy to sign up. The group’s leader, Colton, is solid as an oak. Randall
ain’t half bad, despite his tendency to whine. The whip-smart, beautiful, and
totally badass Aletia is whip-smart, beautiful, and totally badass. Under their
guidance, Dallas learns everything there is to know about hunting monsters (or
close enough) and pledges to keep his friends safe.

Now
there’s a werewolf in town, and Dallas and Stanley are on the case. As far as
Dallas is concerned, monsters are monsters, and they have no place in
Wisconsin.

Or
do they? When an unexpected discovery and an unlikely reunion turn his world
upside down, Dallas realizes he may not get to choose which side he’s on.

Excerpt:

Randall
had whistled through his teeth when Dallas answered the door.

“You
look like Batman and Tim the Tool Guy’s D.I.Y. lovechild,” he chuckled. “What
are you planning to do with all that stuff?”

The
look Dallas gave Randall was sympathetic.

“I
know you been doing this for a little while, but I can see why Colton’s looking
for new help. You gotta be prepared, right? Covert ops? Surgical strike? Get
in, get out, get drunk, get laid, that’s how Big D rolls. You think I’m diving
into a nest of, a nest of, um. You know, a nest of… Say, what are we hunting,
anyway?”

“Boo
hag.”

“Gesundheit.”

“No,
we’re hunting a boo hag.”

“Doo
rag?”

“No,
boo hag, you twit. Kinda like a vampire, but they eat life force from breath,
not blood. Sometimes mistaken for skin walkers since they don’t have skin of
their own and are fond of taking someone else’s to wear for a bit.”

Dallas
nodded authoritatively. “Well, that just proves my point. You think I’m diving
into a nest of boo hags with nothing but my sunny disposition?”

My
Review:

I didn’t
realize when I first started this book that it’s a sequel, so that influenced my
opinions of this book. While I still was able to enjoy the book, I think I
would have gotten more out of it had I read book 1, Wisconsin Vamp first, so I would
recommend reading that book before reading Northwoods Wolfman.

The
best part of this book was Scott’s writing, especially his sense of humor. I
couldn’t stop laughing throughout the book. Even when I didn’t always
understand what was happening (which probably wouldn’t have happened as much if
I’d read book 1), I wanted to keep reading to see what zany thing would happen or
what piece of pure comedic gold would come out of a character’s mouth next.

The
characters, while a bit confusing and odd at times, were absolute gems and fun
to read about. I can’t even pick a favorite because I liked all the characters.
I didn’t even really dislike any of them, a rarity in a book with a good number
of characters.

All in
all, this is an absolutely fun read, and I will definitely not only go back and
read book 1, but am not eagerly looking forward to reading more books in this
series as this a fun, monster-filled romp.

Scott
lives in the Midwest with his wife and their boxer-pitt mix, Frank. He’s a
horror, urban fantasy, and dark comedy fan, and also enjoys beer, bowling,
karaoke, and rooting for the underdog. After not nearly enough consideration,
he decided to write about the things he enjoys. The result was the Monsters in
the Midwest series.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Sisters
in magic, Eolyn and Adiana seek to revive a millennial tradition once forbidden
to women. When war strikes, their fledgling community of magas is destroyed;
its members killed, captured or scattered.

Determined to defend her people, Eolyn seeks to escape the occupied province
and deliver to King Akmael a weapon that might secure their victory. Trapped by
the invading army, Adiana is taken prisoner and placed at the mercy of the
ruthless Prince Mechnes.

Even as their world is torn asunder, Eolyn and Adiana cling to a common dream.
Courage and perseverance guide them toward a future where the Daughters of
Aithne will flourish in a world set free from the violence of men.

"War propels the story forward, and the characters are at their best when
circumstances are at their worst." -Publishers Weekly

This is the second book in THE SILVER WEB trilogy. It can be read as a
stand-alone novel, or as the sequel to the first book, EOLYN.

Excerpt:

A
hush of wings on the windowsill interrupted Eolyn’s thoughts. She looked up to
see a Great River Owl, its proud silhouette outlined by moonlight.

Eolyn
rose to her feet in surprise, keenly aware of its penetrating gaze, though she
could not see its round eyes in the dark. A breeze ruffled its feathers. Its
aura was impossibly familiar: intense shades of gold, burgundy, and forest green,
shot through with streaks of deepest indigo.

She
held her breath and let it go in a whisper. “Akmael?”

More
than a question, it was a hope, a fear, an invocation.

A
shimmer passed through the owl, followed by a flash of white light. Suddenly Akmael
was with her, the heat of his hand upon her throat, the strength of his fingers
intertwining in her hair, the demand of his lips upon hers, warm and full of
passion. The magic of the South Woods blew through the window in a humid gust,
swirling about them, begging Eolyn to remember who she was and what she once
meant to him.

Akmael
kissed Eolyn until she had no more breath to give. Then he paused and held her
close, their foreheads touching as her fingers traced the familiar prominence
of his cheekbone, the line of his jaw, the curve of his full lips.

All
she could hear was his desire, carried on the rhythm of his heart. She dared
not speak, for if she did, she might stumble upon words of caution or prudence
or common sense, and none of that had any place here. Not when he was so near,
nearer than he had been in such a painfully long time, closer than he might
ever be again.

This
is a gift from the Gods, Akmael had once said. To deny it would be an insult to
them.

“Eolyn,
I—”

She
hushed him with a kiss.

Why Query?

It’s been only five years since the first edition
of Eolyn was released by Hadley Rille
Books in May of 2011. At that time, ebooks and self-publishing were just
getting off the ground. Both were viewed with trepidation, even suspicion. But Amazon
opened its arms wide to the coming wave, giving self-published authors a ready
home to realize their dreams. Ever since, Amazon’s bright cartoon eyes have
been going k’ching k’ching as its
e-coffers fill with money.

A lot has changed since 2011. Ebooks are now part
and parcel of any novel release, and numerous presses and imprints have sprung
up to dedicate themselves exclusively to digital editions. Self-published books
have flooded the market, making it easy for readers to find a large variety of stories
cheap or free. At the same time, market saturation has driven down the monetary
value of the blood, sweat, and tears all authors dedicate to their craft.

Many acknowledge that self-publishing is more
respected than it used to be – which, to be fair, is not really saying much.
But still, a large cadre of innovative authors have made their mark in
self-publishing, proving that success doesn’t necessarily depend on landing a
traditional press.

Which begs the question: Why bother querying at
all?

As I mentioned up front, the first edition of Eolyn was published in 2011 through the
traditional route. I sent out queries, synopses, and excerpts, and suffered my
share of rejections, before Hadley Rille Books, a small press specializing in
genre fiction, picked it up and offered me a contract. I published two novels
with Hadley Rille before deciding, in the spring of 2015, that it was time to
strike out on my own.

Now, The
Silver Web trilogy, including Eolyn,
Sword of Shadows, and Daughter of
Aithne, is being released as a self-published work. At the same time, I’ve started querying for another
novel series, Path of Souls, with
sincere hopes of finding a traditional press for my new project.

Having walked the road of both traditional and
self-publishing, I can speak to both experiences and give you some ideas as to
the advantages and disadvantages of both. I can say with confidence that no one
has to cling to just one path to publication. In fact, the more I look at the
fast-paced change of today’s publishing world, the more I believe we shouldn’t
cling to just one path.

It’s also become clear to me that self-published
authors cannot lay exclusive claim to the term “independent author.” In my
mind, all authors are independent. Each author determines the best publishing route
for each of her novels, and exercises freedom by using all the options
available.

For those trying to determine which path to
publication would best suit their current manuscript. I’ve set up a little quiz
that I hope will help you evaluate whether you’re ready to dive into
self-publishing, or whether maybe, just maybe, you should query first. This
isn’t a comprehensive decision-making tool, but hopefully it will shed some
light on what might be the best path for you.

The quiz consists of just three questions:

1. Is this your first novel?

YES – Query first, because let’s be frank: You
have no clue what you’re getting into. Publishing is a shit load of work, and the
learning curve is steep. At this stage in your career, you will benefit
enormously by collaborating with publishing professionals who are invested in
your success and capable of giving you all the support you need to edit,
launch, and market your new baby. If you can find a press ready to offer a home
for your book, DO IT. I highly recommend small, independent presses that can
give you personalized attention and involve you directly in the publishing process.
BUT, beware of vanity presses and the like. Anyone who charges you up front to
publish your work is not a legitimate press. Do your homework, and don’t sign a
contract unless you’re absolutely certain that press can provide a quality
experience for you and your first novel.

NO – If you have some publishing experience under
your belt, and you’re chomping at the bit for more autonomy, self-publishing
may be the road for you. See additional questions below.

2. Do you have a lot of cash on hand?

YES – Lucky you! Get ready to throw it all away. Your
budget will include professional line editing, professional copy editing, cover
art and design, marketing, formatting, and other related expenses (including
ISBN numbers, if you do a print edition). The cost of self-publishing a single
novel, in ebook and paperback, can run into thousands of dollars, depending on
the choices you make. Higher quality products require a larger investment. And
you don’t want to risk putting something shoddy out on the market, because
readers who pick it up will never
look at another novel by you again if they have to suffer through typos, poor
formatting, clichéd story lines, and the like. Most importantly: Do not count on making any of that cash
back. Ebook and other sales will generally not compensate for your initial
investment. The market is saturated and it is extremely difficult to get one’s
book into the hands of more than a few readers. The good news is that as you
put more books out there, you’re likely to attract more readers. So each
subsequent novel should require a little less investment, and the more novels
you have on the market, the greater your returns.

NO – Query first. A quality press can and will
absorb the set-up costs for publishing your book. They can also provide the
marketing muscle to get your novel into the hands of enough readers to at least
have a chance at going viral. With a good enough story and little bit of luck,
you may even get a modest advance.

3. Are you a control freak?

YES – Consider self-publishing. I, for one, have
thoroughly enjoyed having full control over every aspect of publishing The Silver Web (despite the shit load of
work and the exorbitant expense). When I decided to self-publish, it was in
part because I had a very clear idea of exactly what I wanted to do with my
novels, how I wanted to roll them out onto the market. I had identified the perfect
cover artist, and I envisioned a very tight time line for editing, formatting,
and release of all three novels. Maybe a strong marketing team from an
established press would have done a better job than I, but in my heart of
hearts, I wanted complete ownership over this project. I wanted to do things my
way, and to this day, I’m glad I did.

NO – Query first. Give yourself a chance at
finding a press that can free you from some of the more onerous tasks of
publishing. The fact of the matter is, the more control you have over a
project, the less control you have over your time. And time is a precious
commodity, especially for writers. I have no regrets about self-publishing The Silver Web, but for my next project,
I’m ready to set aside my publisher’s hat and surrender some control. Partly
because I want more time to write. But
another important consideration is that my next series will likely appeal to a
somewhat different market than The Silver
Web. A traditional publisher with a good track record could help me reach
out to new audiences. And I’m hungry to work with an experienced editor and a
proper marketing team. So I’m buckling down to query again.

Karin
Rita Gastreich writes stories of ordinary women and the extraordinary paths
they choose. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she is part of the
biology faculty at Avila University. An ecologist by vocation, Karin has
wandered forests and wildlands for over twenty years. Her past times include
camping, hiking, music, and flamenco dance. In addition to THE SILVER WEB
trilogy, Karin has published short stories in World Jumping, Zahir, Adventures
for the Average Woman, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. She is a recipient of the
Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.